Shoe-fastening



(No Model.)

T. U. WALTER.

SHOE FASTENING.

No. 521,686. I Patented June 19', 1894.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

THOMAS U. WVALTER, OF HUNTINGTON, ASSIGNOR OF FOUR-NINTHS TO ANTHONY D.GARDEN, OF WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA.

SHOE-FASTENING.

'PECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 521,686, dated June 19,1894.

7 Application filed December 2, 1893- gerial No. 492,602. (No model.)

To 00% whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS U. WALTER, residing at Huntington, in thecounty of Cabell and State of West Virginia, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Shoe- Fasteners, of which the followingis aspecification.

My invention relates more particularly to that class of shoe fasteningdevices inwhich the fasteners are adapted to be all engagedwith, ordisengaged from the securing eyelets or flap, by a single movement ofthe fastener holding flap portion of the shoe, and it has primarily forits object to provide a shoe fas tening of this character, of a verysimple and inexpensive nature, which can be quickly and easilymanipulated and which will effectually serve for its intended purpose.

It has also for its object to provide a fastener of this kind, which,when adjusted to its securing or interlaced position, will not becomeaccidentally disconnected.

With other minor objects in view which will hereinafter appear, myinvention consists of the novel and peculiarly constructed fastenerhereinafter set out in'the specification and particularly pointed out intheappended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shoe with my improvementsapplied. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the shoe with the flapsshown connected or interlaced. Fig. 3 is a similar view of a portion ofthe shoe, showing the fastener holding flap drawn up to bring thefastener button heads in position to engage the eyelet portions. Fig. 4is a transverse section on the line 2-2, and Fig. 5 is a perspectiveview of one of thefasteners detached.

In the accompanying drawings A, indicates a shoe of the kind in whichthe flaps overlap,

B indicates the upper, and O, the lower flap, the upper flap beingconnected to and formed with the body of the shoe in the usual manner.The flap B has a series of apertures D, which consist each of a circularor inlet portion, (1, and a radial slot or keeper portiond, projecteddownwardly and outwardly in the direction of the edge B and suchopenings have metallic eyelet members B as clearly shown in Fig. 4. Thelower fiap comprises the body portion proper 0 connected to the shoebody in the usual manner, an independent or button carrying member 0'and an intermediate gusset or elastic member E which connects theportions 0 and C.

By referring more particularly to Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings it willbe observed the gusset piece E is formed of a narrow longitudinalportion which is connected with the adjacent edges of the portions 0 Oand an angular portion somewhat wider than the longitudinal portion,which is secured to the lower edge of the portion 0 and the shoe body asshown. The portion 0' has a series of apertures 0 formed with radialslots or extensions c which, when the said portion and the upper flapare in their normal position are adapted to register with the aperturesD in the said upper flap. Within the apertures c are secured buttons orfasteners F, one of which is shown in detail in Fig. 5, and consists ofa base portion f, in outline of a shape similar to the apertures c, andsuch buttons have extensions f formed with shanks f by pulling on tongueI) with one hand to hold the upper fiap stiff, and on the tongue 0 withthe other hand, the lower flap O, owing to its.

peculiar elastic connection with the body of the shoe, will be pulleddiagonally upward, and inward, until the heads f are brought under themain portions of apertures D,and when in such position the expansion ofthe foot will force such heads up through the apertures D, by thenreleasing the pull on the lower flap portion 0' it will be drawn back toits normal position, and in so doing draw the shanks f into theelongations d of the apertures D, and the projecting convex likeportions into the circular or body portion of such apertures, such partsbeing held fixedly in a fzon1ected position by the expansion of the Whenit is desired to remove the shoe it is only necessary to pull on thetongue and draw flap C up until the heads f register with 1nl etportions 01 of apertures D. When in this position the upper flap will beforced up by the foot expansion and become disengaged from the lowerflap.

\Vhile I prefer for simplicity and inexpenslveness to connect the lowerflap to the shoe body by an elastic member, it is obvious that it maybeconnected therewith by other means for giving it a diagonal inwardmovement when pulled upon at its upper end, without departing from thebroad idea of my inven- Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim, and desire to secure by Letters Patout, is-

1. As an improvement in shoe fasteners, the combination with the shoebody having an upper flap secured thereto, having button holes formedeach with an inlet and a downwardly and outwardly projected keeperportion, a button holding flap, a yielding member, connected with theflap and with the shoe body, arranged substantially as shown, wherebywhen pulled upon such flap will move diagonally outward and upward, saidflap member having buttons having head portions adapted to register withthe inlet portions of the button holes in the upper flap when such lowerflap is pulled upward as set forth.

2. As an improvement in shoe fasteners, the combination with the shoebody having a button hole flap, its buttonholes having diagonallydownward extending keeper portions, of a movable button holding flaphaving rigid projecting button like portions, and an elastic connectingmember secured to the lower and inner end of such button flap and to theshoe body, all substantially as shown and described.

3. As an improvement in shoe fasteners, the combination of a button holeflap having holes formed with keeper like portions, a button holdingflap, an elastic connection between the lower and inner end of such flapand the shoe body and button or fastening members arranged diagonally onthe flap, and provided with restraining portions adapted to seat in thebody portions of the button holes when thepartsarein their connectedpositions, all substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. The combination with the upper flap B, having button holes formedwith an eyelet portion d and a keeper portion (1 and the shoe bodyproper of the flap O, the elastic connection E, the diagonally disposedfasteners secured thereon, said fasteners having shanks f head portionsf and convex portionsf' all arranged substantially as and for thepurposes described.

THOMAS U. WAL'IER.

\Vitnesses:

Faun G. Drnrnnron, SOLON G. KEMON,

